Abstract
ABSTRACT Kazakhstan is a post‐Soviet upper middle‐income country which claims to be a leader in regional governance in Central Asia. A key component of its development strategy since independence in 1991 has been public administration reform. This paper examines the post‐Soviet public administration legacy, its features, and how Kazakhstan has attempted to modernize. The country study considers the transition process from the Soviet period, factors which shaped the change, and the extent to which Kazakhstan is now a “democratic unitary state.” Kazakhstan has made progress beyond a post‐Soviet model of public administration. However, it cannot be described as a “democratic unitary state” but rather practices hybrid governance reflecting the demise of the authoritarian bargain. The Kazakhstan country study illustrates how public administration reforms can gain traction in non‐democratic settings and challenges the liberal democratic bias in much public administration theory.